Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty

Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, formally Mutual Defense Treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China, was a treaty between the United States of America and the Republic of China; it was signed on December 2, 1954 in Washington, D.C. and came into force on March 3, 1955.

Article 10 of the treaty provided that either Party could terminate it one year after notice had been given to the other Party.

According to the provision of Article 10, this treaty was terminated on Jan. 1, 1980, one year after the United States established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China on January 1, 1979. The right for President Jimmy Carter to unilaterally annul a treaty, in this case the Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty, was the topic of the Supreme Court case Goldwater v. Carter in which the court declined to rule on the legality of this action, given the political nature rather than judicial nature of the case, thereby allowing it to proceed. Shortly after the United States' recognition of the People's Republic, the U.S. Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act.

Read more about Sino-American Mutual Defense Treaty:  Treaty Obligations and Impact, Historical Significance, See Also

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